Fruit Breeding: Approaches and Achievements

The pressure of an ever increasing population and periodic famine due to unexpected flood and drought has forced and awakened the horticultural scientist, to evolve new plant types for diversified use. Besides, some limitations in the improvement of fruit crop such as long juvenile phase, high heterozygosity, limited information on inheritance pattern, excessive fruit drop, parthenocary and lesser number of seeds per fruit, hybridization, selection, mutation and other tools of fruit breeding have resulted in the development of a number of varieties in mango, grape, papaya, banana and guava for various purposes. A vast literature is available on every aspect of fruits cultivation and many excellent books and manuals have been written from time to time however, compiled information on fruit breeding are not available under a single head. The present book entitled "Fruit Breeding Approaches and Achievements", is ventured with the objective to provide the latest possible information on basic approaches in fruit breeding, breeding for biotic stresses resistance, use of plant growth regulators in fruit improvement, improvement of important fruit crops such as mango, banana, papaya, grape, guava, citrus, ber, aonla, pomegranate, datepalm, litchi, coconut, cashewnut, pineapple and few under utilized fruits in a broad spectrum.